Tal

Something that’s been discussed recently on the Gorean Public Boards that affects the whole of the online community is the way online interaction is conducted these days. The contention being that by shunning the gamers and in an effort to differentiate ourselves from them, most lifestylers have abandoned the kind of interaction that many enjoyed in the past. Partly, this is true of course, but it’s also true that some, having taking this offline, now find the online interaction a pale mockery.

Perhaps in some ways the reaction we’ve had to the players and the way we’ve dealt with it is to withdraw from anything that can even be classed as ‘playing’. In this, we are now seeing that those actions were not always to our own advantage.

One of the points made in the discussion was the difference between the manner the actions seen as playing are viewed. To the players, they are the means and the ends, the whole reason for the game. Why? Presumably because they enjoy it; otherwise, why do it? However, in this case, there is nothing beyond -- no lifestyle, no interaction with others offline, no philosophical base. To the lifestyler, they are just a means of setting a mood, depicting something that is an extension of our lives, a means of expressing ourselves that gives us pleasure. Is this different? Can the actions be separated? Does it really matter? Engage two men who have just been served paga by slaves in conversation and it is easy to tell who is familiar with the philosophy and who is not. Admittedly, some actions are obviously on the player lever–cyber assassinations, forced collaring and all the other nonsense. It’s particularly these types of actions that are offensive to the lifestylers.

If we are concerned with how outsiders view us and consider that anything less then a pure discussion channel portrays us in a bad light, then I would say, look at the focus. The focus of the players is playing. The focus of the lifestyle goreans is to live their lives and online, to be able to meet with others, in a pleasurable atmosphere.

As Marcus wrote in an article a while ago, we need to bring the pleasure and the laughter back to the online environment. This means doing what we will, not worrying about whether we will be viewed by others as players or not. Truly, do we care? If our reality has the strength of an underpinning lifestyle, why should we care if we get called players by others? The true goreans know who they are and who the others are. That is enough.

Until next month, I wish you well

I wish you well

Charon

If anyone has comments, additional thoughts, questions or topics for furtherdiscussion, send them to charon@styx55.freeserve.co.uk